Riding the Red Line

How Matt Tegenkamp and The Madison Project are making an impact

Matt Tegenkamp is riding the red line – that razor-thin invisible striation that separates maximum performance from complete breakdown. "It's the difference between running a great race and … " he pauses recalling a too poignant example needed to finish the analogy, "and totally blowing up."

They respected the past, but looked to the future.

The newly minted American-record holder at two miles has had his share of both. "When I ran 13:04 (in Stockholm in 2006) I perfectly managed the line," he says. "Physiologically, I was riding it the entire race, but never once stepped over it."

His voice lowers and slows, "Compare that to my 3K one month later (in Rieti). The first 800 was 1:58. I hit the mile in 4:01. That was it. I was cooked. It would have been a death march to the finish."

Uncharacteristically, Tegenkamp dropped out. What does he make of his record-setting performance in last year's Prefontaine Classic 2-mile? "Well, I definitely didn't go over the line." He pauses for caffeine. "In hindsight, I think I could have pushed a little harder."

But running fast times in 2007 wasn't part of the Master Plan. Getting ready for the world championships was. "Coach [Jerry] Schumacher had a long-term plan for me the day I arrived at the University of Wisconsin," Tegenkamp says. "We've made some adjustments along the way, but he's never wavered from it. NCAA champion, U.S. champion, American record holder, Olympic medalist – that's what we've been aiming for since day one."

So while 2006 was about running fast, 2007 focused on championship racing. "I've spent the last two years developing the tools necessary to compete on the world level," he continues. "In 2006 we focused on strength and the ability to ride the red line as long as possible. No matter the pace, Schumacher told me to stay with the lead pack for as long as possible."

While most Americans stay off a hot early pace, especially in international competition, Tegenkamp was sticking his nose in the fire. "Then this year, with worlds, we totally changed the focus," he says. "It was all about closing speed. Once I hit May, I was training more like a 1500-meter runner."

While most Americans were training to make the world team, Tegenkamp was training to win a medal. He missed the bronze by just three one-hundredths of a second. If not for Bernard Lagat's win, Tegenkamp's fourth-place finish would have been the best ever by an American at 5,000 meters in a world championship.

This aggressive racing style is shaping the next generation of American distance runners. No longer are the East Africans unbeatable. In the stretch run of Tegenkamp's world championship race, he blew past Tariku Bekele, Mo Farah, and Abraham Cherkos. Only Lagat ran a faster final 200 meters. No longer are Americans content with just making a team. Americans are actually talking about winning medals in Beijing. No longer are Americans sitting in the back, hoping to pick off a fading Kenyan or two in the final lap. Tegenkamp took the lead and pushed the pace in his semi-final heat in Osaka, showing that Americans can dictate a race at the world level.